Being paid in small shops

This article examines the ways in which means of payment equip the commercial link in the context of small local shops. It is based on interviews with shopkeepers, on observations of sales interactions, and on the constitution of a corpus of photographs recording payment gestures. Around means of payment and their material devices we find a network of constraints, sociotechnical frameworks, and norms, which are sometimes surprising and orientate the exchange in different ways. Our study suggests that the plurality of the means of payment takes the question of payment out of the confines of the transaction itself, to inform the entire exchange, both upstream and downstream. On the other hand, the means of payment also renews the question of the balance of power in the commercial link. Consumers generally impose their vision of payment (usually a card), even though from a legal point of view all cash payments should be accepted, which places the merchant in a position between domination and consent. Everyday transactions, which are heavily instrumented, become small, highly ritualized market entities. Above all, they are framed by recourse to the law, which more often than not provides strict requirements and arguments for demanding a particular means of payment.